From Poker Fuse The Full Tilt Poker Academy is to be re-opened, according to a recent interview on pokerfuse PRO. The academy first opened in January 2009, and consisted of various video lessons produced by the then 20-strong roster of pros. Each lesson was accompanied by a challenge at which players could complete for Full Tilt Points. According Sarne Lightman, Head of Marketing at Full Tilt, the new academy will be completely different from the previous version, with a structured approach and “exciting new features.” FULL STORY

From Gambling 911 Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake will star in the September 2013 release of Runner, Runner, a film about an offshore Internet gambling operator (Affleck) and his student gambler (played by Timberlake). The film is directed by Brad Furman with Leonardo DiCaprio as producer. Gambling911.com had alerted its readers last summer that filming was taking place throughout San Juan, Puerto Rico with the stars regularly frequenting the Marriott Resort. Affleck runs the online gambling site, Timberlake’s character looses his Princeton tuition to the online gambling site, and the rest is history… FULL STORY

From Poker News Bwin.party digital entertainment, the leading European online gambling operator, has taken drastic measures to cut costs. Sources told eGamingReview this week that World Poker Tour CEO Steve Heller, business development director Alen Lang, and group technology director Tod Martin have all left the company. More departures may take place in the future. Heller joined PartyGaming in 2005 as CEO of Asian operations. It is reported that WPT President Adam Pliska will assume Heller’s role. PokerNews reached out to bwin.party for comment about Heller’s departure, but a spokesperson said the company doesn’t comment about management changes. Martin, who…

From CNBC Like brick-and-mortar retailers, casinos in Las Vegas—and pretty soon in Atlantic City—are finding themselves up against a familiar foe: the Internet. It may seem counterintuitive that Nevada and New Jersey—homes to the two biggest gambling cities in the country—are leading the charge at the state level to legalize online betting. But states, like many Americans, are looking for new revenue streams as the economy continues to sputter to life. And some casinos are being proactive, looking for ways to develop or partner their way to a Web-based gaming presence. In February, Nevada become the first state to approve…

From the Hill Lobbyists who advocate legalizing online poker are on the prowl for a new Republican to champion their cause in the Senate. Former Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) had been a reliable supporter of online poker, but he retired last year after making a last-ditch effort to pass legislation with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). Gambling interests are eager to revisit Internet poker legalization — a top priority for Reid’s casino-dominated home state — but lobbyists for the gaming industry doubt the effort will succeed until a Republican ally is found from outside Nevada who can broaden the…

The great investment thesis behind Zynga was that it would eventually turn its play-money Zynga Poker game into a wildly lucrative online poker business, rivaling even the most established players in gaming. There was a time when an idea like that wasn’t too far-fetched. Zynga Poker has around 36 million users every month on Facebook with around 6 million of those on the site every day. The problem is that online poker isn’t legal here in the U.S., so this huge user base hasn’t translated to a significant profit. First-quarter revenue dropped 18% and the fickle nature of online-game players has…